(CNN) -- At least 46 people were killed and 50 were reported missing after heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides in southern China, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Thursday.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on its website that more than 238,000 people had been evacuated from their homes in the regions of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Sichuan, Xinhua reported.

More than 33,000 homes had been destroyed in the affected areas and the agency estimated the economic loss at $398 million (2.72 billion yuan), Xinhua said. The worst-hit regions were Fujian, Guangxi and Sichuan.

The rain began Sunday, Xinhua reported, and more rain is expected to hit southern China over coming days, the National Meteorological Center predicted.